Typically, conveyors have been installed in truck bodies to extend between the front wall and the tailgate of the dump body and centrally between the side walls of the truck body. With these longitudinal conveyors, materials in the dump bodies can be conveyed to the front or rear of the dump body to be dispensed. Some examples of these types of trucks are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,214 to Musso, Jr. et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,310,119 to Musso, Jr. et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,397,172 to Musso, Jr. et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,974 to Musso, Jr. et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,400 to Musso, Jr. et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,499 to Musso.
The positioning of a conveyor in the floor of a truck body has required the development of suitable support structures. In particular, when combining a central, longitudinally extending conveyor with a typical truck body, the overall weight of the truck body is significantly increased, especially for wide conveyors which may encompass a third or more of the floor space of the truck body. Further, the additional weight of these conveyors is focused in the center of the truck body floor, away from the support provided by front, rear, and side walls. In order to support the weight of a central, longitudinally extending conveyor, a plurality of cross member supports (i.e. transverse beams) which extend between longitudinally extending channel beams and/or extend from longitudinally extending channel beams to the side walls of the truck body have been necessary. Such support structures are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,214 to Musso, Jr. et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,974 to Musso, Jr. et al.
Although the use of a plurality of cross member supports in combination with channel beams has allowed the positioning of conveyors in the floor of trucks, such cross members add weight to the truck body, thereby decreasing fuel economy, and increase the cost of production of truck bodies. Thus, there is a need for a dump truck body including a central, longitudinally extending conveyor which eliminates the need for a plurality (i.e., two or more) of cross members.